Systems and methods for presenting metaphors

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a metaphor engine having a controller, and a storage medium for storing instructions to be executed by the controller. The instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to receive a measure of a mood of an individual, create a metaphor according to the measure of the mood of the individual, and present the metaphor to an entity requesting to interact with the individual. The measure of the mood can be synthesized from collected information associated with a behavior of the individual, and can indicate an availability of the individual and a receptiveness of the individual to accept a request to interact with an entity. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to communication techniques andmore specifically to systems and methods for presenting metaphors.

BACKGROUND

Instant messaging applications such as Microsoft's Windows Messenger™can provide users a way to track the availability of others tocommunicate. Windows Messenger™ can for example indicate that a targetedparty is online, away from his/her computer, or offline. Presence andlocation systems can be used in similar applications to provide thewhereabouts of an individual, the availability of the individual tocommunicate, an indication of the state of use of a communication deviceof the individual, and so on.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withthe communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIGS. 5-6 depict illustrative embodiments of methods according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system for managingaccess to individuals according to the methods of FIGS. 5-6;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a multidimensionalrepresentation of an individual's mood according to the methods of FIGS.5-6;

FIGS. 9-22 depict illustrative embodiments of metaphors for describingthe individual's mood according to the methods of FIGS. 5-6; and

FIG. 23 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a metaphor enginehaving a controller, and a storage medium for storing instructions to beexecuted by the controller. The instructions, when executed by thecontroller, cause the controller to receive a measure of a mood of anindividual, create a metaphor according to the measure of the mood ofthe individual, and present the metaphor to an entity requesting tointeract with the individual. The measure of the mood can be synthesizedfrom collected information associated with a behavior of the individual,and can indicate an availability of the individual and a receptivenessof the individual to accept a request to interact with an entity. Themeasure of the mood can have a plurality of dimensions.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail acomputer-readable storage medium having computer instructions to receivea measure of a mood of an individual to interact with an entity, andcreate a metaphor according to the measure of the mood of the individualto inform the entity of the receptiveness of the individual to interactwith the entity.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a method ofcreating a metaphor from a measure of a mood of an individual tointeract with an entity.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) broadcast mediasystem. The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO)110 with at least one super headend office server (SHS) 111 whichreceives media content from satellite and/or terrestrial communicationsystems. In the present context, media content can represent audiocontent, moving image content such as videos, still image content, orcombinations thereof. The SHS server 111 can forward packets associatedwith the media content to video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a networkof video head-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicastcommunication protocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast programs via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a common residential or commercial gateway). Theaccess network 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered interface technologies (such as coaxial or phone linewiring) or can operate over a common wireless access protocol. Withthese interfaces, unicast communications can be invoked between themedia processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media system forservices such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130 a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116 by way of a wireless access base station 117operating according to common wireless access protocols such as WirelessFidelity (WiFi), or cellular communication technologies (such as GSM,CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, and so on).

It will be appreciated by an artisan of ordinary skill in the art that asatellite broadcast television system can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115supplying media content can be intercepted by a common satellite dishreceiver 131 coupled to the building 102. Modulated signals interceptedby the satellite dish receiver 131 can be submitted to the mediaprocessors 106 for generating broadcast channels which can be presentedat the media devices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped witha broadband port to the ISP network 132 to enable infrastructureservices such as VoD and EPG described above.

In yet another embodiment, a common analog or digital broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 133 can be used in place ofthe IPTV media system described above. In this embodiment the cable TVsystem 133 can provide Internet, telephony, and interactive mediaservices.

It follows from the above illustrations that the present disclosure canapply to any present or future interactive media content services.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication system 100 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a E.164 NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other common networkelements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 can establishcommunications between IMS compliant communication devices (CD) 201,202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205, andcombinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function (MGCF)220 coupled to a PSTN network 260.

IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with acorresponding Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with the HSS240. To initiate a communication session between CDs, an originating IMSCD 201 can submit a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message toan originating P-CSCF 204 which communicates with a correspondingoriginating S-CSCF 206. The originating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries tothe ENUM server 230 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIPINVITE to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS compliant.

The SIP URI can be used by an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submita query to the HSS 240 to identify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associatedwith a terminating IMS CD such as CD 202. Once identified, the I-CSCF207 can submit the SIP INVITE to the terminating S-CSCF 214. Theterminating S-CSCF 214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216associated with the terminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 then signals theCD 202 to establish communications.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CDs203 or 205, the ENUM server 230 can respond with an unsuccessful addressresolution which can cause the originating S-CSCF 206 to forward thecommunication request to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout Gateway ControlFunction (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate communications withthe terminating PSTN CD by common means over the PSTN network 260.

The aforementioned communication process is symmetrical. Accordingly,the terms “originating” and “terminating” in FIG. 2 are interchangeable.It is further noted that communication system 200 can be adapted tosupport video conferencing by way of common protocols such as H.323. Inaddition, communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs201, 203 the multimedia and Internet services of communication system100.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 302 which canoperate from the computing devices 130 described earlier ofcommunication 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The portal 302 can be used formanaging services of communication systems 100, 200. The portal 302 canbe accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with a common Internetbrowser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer™ using an Internet-capablecommunication device such as those described for FIGS. 1-2. The portal302 can be configured, for example, to access the media processor 106and services managed thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), aVoD catalog, an EPG, a personal catalog (such as personal videos,pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored in the media processor 106,provisioning IMS services described earlier, provisioning Internetservices, provisioning cellular phone services, and so on.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication 400 can serve in whole or in part as an illustrativeembodiment of the communication devices 106, 108, 116, 201, 202, 203,and 205 of FIGS. 1-2. The communication device 400 can comprise awireline and/or wireless transceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), auser interface (UI) 404, a power supply 414, a location receiver 416,and a controller 406 for managing operations thereof. The transceiver402 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologiessuch as Bluetooth, WiFi, Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications(DECT), or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few.Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA,GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, and next generation cellularwireless communication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 402can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline accesstechnologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline accesstechnologies (such as TCPIP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, joystick, mouse, ornavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or aQwerty keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include adisplay 410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. Inan embodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or allof the keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. TheUI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing or transmitting still or movingimages.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver for identifying a location of the communication device100 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites,thereby facilitating common location services such as navigation. Thecontroller 406 can utilize computing technologies such as amicroprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or a videoprocessor with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM,DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative method 500 that can be applied to asystem 700 shown in FIG. 7 that can be overlaid or operably coupled tocommunication systems 100 and 200 of FIGS. 1-2 as another representativeembodiment of these communication systems. System 700 can comprise asynthesis engine 702, a collection engine 704, a negotiation engine 706,an intermediary engine 708, and a metaphor engine 710, each of which canoperate from common computing and communication resources such as, forexample, a server, mainframe or other suitable computing device with acapability to communicate over an IP, PSTN, or a wireless interface suchas those described above. System 700 can be used to manage interactionsbetween an individual and entities expressing an interest in interactingwith the individual.

Method 500 can begin with step 502 in which the collection engine 704collects from communication systems 100 and 200 data associated with anindividual whose communications and actions are being monitored for thepurpose of providing interaction management services such as thosedescribed by the present disclosure. To accomplish this step thecollection engine 704 can interface to a plurality of network elementssuch as routers, switches, DSLAMs, billing systems, provisioningsystems, or other common network elements of the communication systems100 and 200. The information collected from these network elements canrepresent, for example, network activity data, metadata, imagery andaudio data, location data, and subscriber account data, each having someassociation with the individual.

Network activity data can represent communication traffic originatingfrom the individual's use of resources of the communication systems 100or 200. For example, network activity can arise from the individual'suse of the ISP network 132 of FIG. 1 (sending emails, browsing theInternet, engaging in instant messaging, etc.). Network activity canalso arise from the individual engaging in voice or data communicationsover the IMS network 250 or a cellular system such as reference 117, orby the individual's viewing of a movie supplied by a VoD service of theIPTV media system of FIG. 1. Other sources of network activity that canbe derived from communication systems 100-200 are contemplated by thepresent disclosure.

The metadata can be collected by the collection engine 704 from an EPGsystem of the communication system 100. The metadata can be used todescribe media content consumed by the individual (e.g., movie genre,movie title, and so on). Imagery and/or audio data can also be collectedby the collection engine 704 from, for example, web cameras located in ahome (kitchen, family room, game room, etc.) or business establishment(office, reception area) of the individual. The imagery collected can bestill images, video content, or a combination thereof.

The audio data can also be collected from communication devices of theindividual (computer, desktop phone, cell phone, etc.) which can beselectively enabled by the collection engine 704 to provide audio-onlydata by way of a microphone integrated in the communication devices.Microphones can also be integrated with the web cameras or can beindividually located in a number of locations of the individual's homeand/or business to provide audio data to the collection engine 704. Theimage and/or audio data can be used to describe the environment andactivities of the individual. The image and/or audio data can besupplied to the collection engine 704 by the abovementioned deviceswhich can be represented collectively as image/audio sensors 712 of FIG.7.

The collection engine 704 can also collect location data associated withthe individual which can be represented by coordinate information(longitude, latitude) supplied by communication devices 116 of theindividual with a GPS receiver or from triangulation analysis performedon communication data supplied by network elements of communicationsystems 100 and 200. Other location data collection methods such asdetecting a proximity of communication devices to known WiFi antennaeare contemplated by the present disclosure. The collection engine 704can also receive subscriber account data from billing or provisioningsystems operating in the communication systems 100 and 200. Thesubscriber account data can indicate which services an individual issubscribed to, how much the services are costing the individual, wherethe individual lives, how many parties are located in the household ofthe individual, and the individual's payment or credit history.

Given the extensive communications and processing resources ofcommunication systems 100 and 200, it would be apparent to an artisanwith ordinary skill in the art that other sources of informationassociated with the individual can be collected by the collection engine704. For instance, the communication systems 100 and 200 can providetelemetry data to the collection engine 704. The telemetry data canindicate how often the individual utilizes any one of the above mediaresources (IPTV media system, cable TV, satellite TV, cellulartelephony, PSTN telephony, IMS telephony, Internet resources, and soon). The telemetry information can also indicate which communicationdevices of the user are powered down, which are powered up, as well asother states of usage of these devices.

The collection engine 704 can receive directives from the synthesisengine 702 to determine which information is to be collected about theindividual, how it is to be filtered (if at all) in step 504, and whenand in what format the collected information is to be distributed to thesynthesis engine 702. To avoid overburdening the synthesis engine 702,the collection engine 704 can be directed by the synthesis engine 702 toidentify incremental changes in the collected information and onlytransmit these changes to the synthesis engine 702. The incrementalchanges can be supplied to the synthesis engine 702 as collected dataupdates as shown in FIG. 7. The synthesis engine 702 can also applydegrees of importance (such as weighting factors) to aspects of thecollected information described above to manage the extent and prioritygiven to the collected data processed by the synthesis engine 702.

In step 506, the synthesis engine 702 can synthesize a measure of a moodof the individual from the collected data updates provided by thecollection engine 704. The measure of the mood can for example indicatean availability and receptiveness of the individual to interact withanother entity. In the present context the term entity can mean a humanbeing (such as friends or family of the individual) or an artificialintelligence system such as a gaming system, social networking system,or other system requesting an interaction with the individual. Tosynthesize the measure of the mood of the individual, the synthesisengine 702 can be programmed to determine from the collected dataupdates a context of activity of the individual, a location of theindividual, a state of usage of the communication devices or computingdevices of the individual, a state of mind of the individual, proximityto friends and family, and/or a behavioral profile of the individual.

The context of activity of the individual can be determined in severalways. For example, aspects of the collected network activity canindicate to the synthesis engine 702 that the individual is watching atelevision program at home, is working at his/her computer in theoffice, is neither at home or in the office, or is on a business trip.Lack of network activity can indicate a state of rest for theindividual. The metadata collected from media content consumed by theindividual can also be used to identify what the individual is watchingon television (VoD movie, documentary, football game, etc.). Thelocation data can indicate that the user is at home, in the office,driving in an automobile, traveling on a train, sitting at a restaurantor a movie theater, etc.

Collectively, the above information can be used by the synthesis engine702 to determine a context of activity of the individual. The synthesisengine 702 can, for example, categorize the individual's activity as anentertainment context, an occupational context, or a privacy context. Anentertainment content can arise when the individual is at home watchinga football game with friends and family. An occupational context canarise, for example, when the individual is at the office, and is engagedin a conference call. A privacy context can arise when the individual isresting in bed or has proactively submitted a request to system 700 fora quiet moment. Other possible forms of contextual identification arecontemplated by the present disclosure.

The synthesis engine 702 can also historically track the context ofactivity of the individual, the location of the individual, and thestate of usage of communication and computing devices of the individual.Utilizing common statistical pattern recognition tools, the synthesisengine 702 can detect historical patterns that can indicate the habitsand customs of the individual. The synthesis engine 702 can for exampledetermine that upon arriving at home from a typical work day, theindividual turns on the TV to the ESPN channel. The synthesis engine 702can also identify from metadata that the individual is particularlyinterested in certain sports teams. Behavioral information such as thiscan be saved by the synthesis engine 702 in a behavioral profile.

The behavioral profile of the individual can describe the habits andcustoms of the individual during a work week and on weekends. Thecustoms and habits recorded in the profile can include for example whothe individual commonly communicates with, an identification of commonmedia content consumed by the individual, which communication andcomputing devices the individual uses at different times of the day,likes and dislikes of the individual, and so forth. The behavior profilecan be comprehensive in its descriptions of the individual. For example,the individual's behavior on a particular day can be described in timeintervals: a first interval starting from the time the individual wakesup, a second interval starting from the time the individual arrives athis/her office, a third interval starting from the time the individualreturns home from work, and a fourth interval starting at the time theindividual goes to sleep. Each of these intervals can be described intemporal units (every half hour, every hour, etc.).

The behavioral profile of the individual can also be refined withsubscriber account data. The subscriber account data of the individualcombined with a knowledge of the media consumption behavior of theindividual can provide the synthesis engine 702 sufficient informationto demographically and psychographically profile the individual. Thebehavioral profile can therefore identify demographic aspects of theindividual such as age group, gender, income level and education, andpsychographic aspects such as traits of the individual, likes anddislikes of the individual, attitudes of the individual, interests ofthe individual, and lifestyle of the individual.

The synthesis engine 702 can also use common speech analysis techniquesto determine an emotional state and/or stress level of the individual.For example, the synthesis engine 702 can direct the collection engine704 to provide voice samples and/or text communications (email, instantmessages, SMS, etc.) initiated by the individual during communicationsessions with others. The voice and/or text samples can then be analyzedby the synthesis engine 702 to determine if the individual is angry,calm, stressed, excited, as well as other common detectable states. Suchinformation can be used in part by the synthesis engine 702 to determinethe measure of the mood of the individual.

The synthesis engine 702 can also use location data about the individualas supplied by the collection engine 704 to determine whether theindividual is in a vicinity of one or more parties which the individualhas historically interacted with. The behavioral profile of theindividual can for example identify friends and family of theindividual. The profile can also include communication identifiers (URL,IP address, etc.) of one or more common location based servers (LBS)which can be prompted to provide presence information about the friendsand family of the individual. In an embodiment, the synthesis engine 702can request presence information from one or more LBSs to detect aproximity between the individual and friends and family. Thisinformation, behavioral profile data, and other factors known to thesynthesis engine 702 can be used by the synthesis engine 702 todetermine a measure of the mood of the individual to communicate withthe detected parties.

Based on the foregoing illustrations, the synthesis engine 702 candetermine the measure of the mood of the individual singly or incombination from the context of activity of the individual, the locationof individual, the state of usage of communication and computing devicesof the individual, the state of mind of the individual, proximity tofriends and family, and/or the behavioral profile of the individual. Theresulting measure can be described in a plurality of dimensions. FIG. 8depicts an illustrative embodiment of the plurality of dimensionsassociated with the measure of the mood of the individual. Otherembodiments of the illustration of FIG. 8 are contemplated by thepresent disclosure.

The illustration in FIG. 8 is a planar representation of six possibledimensions for describing the mood of the individual: (1) a firstdimension to manage a metaphorical expression of the mood of theindividual to interact with an entity (MEn), (2) a second dimension tomanage a disclosure to the entity of one or more activities of theindividual (Dn), (3) a third dimension to manage a negotiation with theentity to provide the entity a degree of access to the individual (NSn),(4) a fourth dimension to manage an intermediary that conducts thenegotiation with the entity (IMn), (5) a fifth dimension to manage thefirst through fourth dimensions according to an identity of the entityrequesting to interact with the individual (IEn), and (6) a sixthdimension to manage the first through fourth dimensions according to acontext of activity of the individual at the time the entity requests aninteraction with the individual (CAn).

For illustration purposes only, the entity will be referred to herein asa party expressing an interest to interact with the individual. It isunderstood however that the party can be replaced with an artificialintelligence system without affecting the scope of the disclosure thatfollows.

The first dimension can be subdivided into elements, each identifying aplurality of metaphor expressions (ME1 through MEn) which can be used toexpress the mood of the individual to interact with a party. Theelements of the second dimension can identify a plurality of techniquesto disclose the activities of the individual (D1 through Dn) to theparty. The elements of the third dimension can identify a plurality ofnegotiation strategies (NS1 through NSn) to provide the party a degreeof access to the individual. The elements of the fourth dimension canidentify a plurality of intermediaries (IM1 through IMn) that can becalled on to negotiate with the party the degree of access to theindividual. The elements of the fifth and sixth dimensions can identifya plurality of parties (P1 through Pn) and context of activities of theindividual (CA1 through CAn) which the synthesis engine 702 can use tocreate a plurality of multidimensional scenarios depicted illustrativelyby references 802 and 804. These scenarios can be used by thenegotiation engine 706, the intermediary engine 708, and the metaphorengine 710 to perform their respective functions.

For illustration purposes, suppose that party P1 corresponds to Sam Doe(a friend of the individual). The scenario of reference 802 shows thatwhen the context of activity of the individual is CA2 and the requestingparty is Sam Doe (P1), the intermediary engine 708 is directed by thesynthesis engine 702 to select the intermediary IM2, the metaphor engine710 is to directed to select the metaphor expression ME1, thenegotiation engine 706 is to directed to select the negotiation strategyNS2, and the metaphor engine 710 is directed to select a disclosuretechnique D3.

The context of activity CA2 can represent an occupational context of theindividual such as when the individual is busy at work, on the phone, ordrafting documents on his/her computer. Intermediary IM2 can representthe selection of an interactive avatar presented to the party prior toproviding communication access to the individual. The metaphorexpression ME1 can represent a metaphor expression such as a partiallyopened door to indicate the availability and receptiveness of theindividual to interact with the party.

The disclosure D3 can identify an actual metaphor or synthesizedmetaphor that reveals in whole or in part the activities of theindividual. An actual metaphor can be represented by a visual or audiblepresentation of the activities of the individual supplied by data from aweb camera and/or audio sensor 712 collected by the collection engine704 which can be transmitted to the metaphor engine 710. A synthesizedmetaphor of the individual's activities on the other hand can berepresented by a virtual depiction of the individual's activities whichcan be presented to the party in a visual and/or audible format (e.g., apicture of an animated figure working from an office with a partiallyopened door, or the sound of a door opening partially with keyboardstrokes heard in the background).

The negotiation strategy NS2 can define a negotiation interaction withthe party. The negotiation interaction can be described by flowchartsgenerated by the synthesis engine 702 which outline queries directed tothe party and actions to be taken by the negotiation engine 706according to the party's responses to the queries. Negotiationinteractions can also be described by artificial intelligence algorithmscapable of addressing complex communication exchanges with the partywhich can address open-ended discussions that are not as straightforwardas a static flowchart.

Reference 804 illustrates another scenario identified by the synthesisengine 702 when the context of activity of the individual changes fromCA2 to CA4 for the same party (Sam Doe). The transition from reference802 to 804, results in a change of the intermediary from IM2 to IM1, achange of the metaphor expression from ME1 to ME3, a change of thenegotiation strategy from NS2 to NS3, and a change of the disclosuretechnique from D3 to D1. Many other scenarios (which are not shown) canbe generated by the synthesis engine 702 for the multidimensional chartof FIG. 8. Each of these scenarios can be communicated in whole or inpart to the negotiation engine 706, the intermediary engine 708 and themetaphor engine 710 as a multidimensional description of the mood of theindividual at any particular time and day of the week. The synthesisengine 710 can also communicate more than once a day updates in themultidimensional description of the mood of the individual to thenegotiation engine 706, the intermediary engine 708 and the metaphorengine 710.

Once a measure of the mood of the individual has been determined in step506, the synthesis engine 702 can present in step 508 the results to theindividual on a communication device of the individual such as his/hercomputer. The presentation can be a graphical representation such asshown in FIG. 8. To manage the presentation, the synthesis engine 702can be directed by the individual to present one scenario at a time on aper party basis. When there are too many scenarios to review, theindividual can focus his/her attention on a few parties of interest(such as family, management, executive staff). During the presentationof a particular scenario, the individual can qualitatively adjust eachscenario by selecting a portion of a reference line with a navigationdevice such as a mouse, and moving it between elements for any of thedimensions shown in FIG. 8.

For example, in the case of reference 802, the individual can move theline intersection from intermediary IM2 to intermediary IM3, anddisclosure D3 to disclosure D1, while retaining the previousintersections at the metaphorical expression ME1 and negotiationstrategy NS2. Alternatively, the individual can submit quantitativechanges to the displayed scenario by way of a keyboard entry (“ChangeIM2 to IM3, and D3 to D1”).

It will be appreciated by an artisan with ordinary skill in the art thatother methods can be used by the individual for qualitatively orquantitatively updating the scenarios presented by the synthesis engine702. For instance, the synthesis engine 702 can use common graphicaltools such as “sliders” or “knobs” to provide the individual a means tomake updates. Each dimension shown in FIG. 8 can be presented with acorresponding slider or knob that the individual can use to changebetween elements of a proposed scenario.

The individual can also be presented with an additional slider or knobthat represents a collective measure of multiple dimensions. The slideror knob in this instance can signify discrete levels or a continuousrange of a receptiveness of the individual to interact with others orwith a particular party. Moving the slider to the left or turning theknob counterclockwise can represent a decrease in the receptiveness ofthe individual to interact, while moving the slider to the right or theknob clockwise can represent an increase in the receptiveness tointeract. The synthesis engine 702 can present the slider or knob in aposition that corresponds to the scenario originally determined by thesynthesis engine 710. A departure from this position can change theintersections shown in FIG. 8 for a particular scenario (or multiplescenarios). The synthesis engine 702 can graphically show the adaptationof a scenario (or scenarios) as the individual moves the slider or knob.

In addition to the chart of FIG. 8, the synthesis engine 702 can alsoprovide statistical data for each scenario as well as for a collectionof scenarios. The statistical data can be presented graphically such asby way of a probability distribution (Gaussian, Poisson) with standarddeviation, variance, and confidence metrics. For individuals who haveless technical expertise, the synthesis engine 702 can apply colorcoding techniques to a statistical graph to indicate moodinterpretations of the individual. For example, the color green canrepresent a receptive mood of the individual to interact with otherswhile red represents an unreceptive mood. The colors can be defined by alegend. Sliders and knobs can be presented with these representations sothat the individual can also adjust statistical predictions of the moodof the individual on a scenario basis, or across a collection ofscenarios.

The qualitative or quantitative changes made by the individual asdescribed above to the measure of the mood of the individual can bedetected by the synthesis engine 702 in step 510 and updated in step512.

In step 514, the synthesis engine 702 can distribute in whole or in partthe updated multidimensional measure of the mood of the individual tothe negotiation engine 706, the intermediary engine 708 and the metaphorengine 710. The multidimensional measure can be distributed as digitalcodes each representing scenarios synthesized by the synthesis engine702. In step 516, the negotiation engine 706 and the metaphor engine 710can monitor parties expressing an interest in interacting with theindividual.

Step 516 can be accomplished by the negotiation engine 706 and/or themetaphor engine 710 detecting communication origination signalsinitiated by communication or computing devices of a party (such as themedia processor 106 or CDs 108, 116, 201, or 203), each of these devicesof the party communicatively coupled to communication systems 100 and200. A communication original signal can arise from a PSTN call causingthe generation of SS7 signaling information, a VoIP call causing thegeneration of a SIP INVITE, or an instant messaging request arising froman IM application operating from a computer of the party. Thecommunication origination signals can be directed by network elements ofcommunication systems 100 and 200 to the negotiation engine 706 and themetaphor engine 710 before it reaches a CD of the individual such as CD202. The network elements can await instructions from the negotiationengine 706 which determines the degree of access provided to theindividual.

In another embodiment, step 516 can represent an intermediatecommunication attempt by a party. For example, a party exploring thepossibility of interacting with the individual can submit from acommunication device of the party a request to communicate with themetaphor engine 710 (or the communication with the metaphor engine 710can be continuous) in step 516 to determine from a metaphor expressionof the individual's activities whether interaction with the individualis desirable. If the party determines that an interaction is desirable,the party can cause the communication device of the party (such as acomputer, STB, cellular phone, etc.) to initiate a communicationorigination request to a communication device of the individual (e.g.,office phone). If the party determines that interacting with theindividual is not desirable, the party can terminate communications withthe metaphor engine 710 without invoking a communication originationrequest.

The metaphor expression generated by the metaphor engine 710 in step 518can be described by an illustrative embodiment of method 600 depicted inFIG. 6. Method 600 can begin with step 602 in which the metaphor engine710 determines a metaphor type from the measure of the mood and theparty's identification (ID) which can be determined by common signalingtechniques. The metaphor type can be, for example, a synthesizedmetaphor, an actual metaphor, or a combination thereof.

If the metaphor engine 710 detects in step 604 a synthesized metaphortype, the metaphor engine 710 proceeds to step 606 where it generates asynthesized audible metaphor according to the measure of the mood. Asynthesized audible metaphor can represent synthesized audio generatedfrom a metaphorical interpretation of the measure of the mood of theindividual. The measure of the mood can indicate, for example, a contextof activity such as the individual is at the office working from his/hercomputer. The context of activity can be used to generate synthesizedaudio in the form of someone typing on a keyboard to express asynthesized audible metaphor. If the context of activity indicates theindividual is resting, or sleeping, the synthesized audible metaphor canbe represented by synthesized audio in the form of someone lightlysnoring.

In step 608, the metaphor engine 710 can generate a synthesized imagemetaphor according to the measure of the mood of individual. Themetaphor engine 710 can, for example, use the context of activity of theindividual (CAn), and the metaphorical expression (MEn) to generate asynthesized image metaphor to suitably represent the mood of theindividual. For example, suppose the context of activity identified bythe measure of the mood of the individual indicates the individual isplaying a video game by way of a gaming console. To illustrate thisactivity, the metaphor engine 710 can generate a synthesized imagemetaphor such as shown in FIG. 9. The synthesized image metaphor can bea still or moving image. In this illustration, the synthesized audiblemetaphor can represent sounds typically heard with video games.

Suppose instead the context of activity indicates the individual isentertaining a guest while viewing a football game. To illustrate thisactivity, the metaphor engine 710 can generate a synthesized imagemetaphor such as the one shown in FIG. 10. As before, the synthesizedimage metaphor can be a still or moving image. The synthesized audiblemetaphor can generate sounds typically heard during a football game. Inyet another illustrative embodiment, suppose the context of activityindicates the individual is resting. To illustrate this activity, themetaphor engine 710 can generate a synthesized image metaphor such asshown in FIG. 11 with a synthesized audible metaphor of someone lightlysnoring.

Referring back to step 604, when the metaphor type identified in step602 is an actual metaphor, the metaphor engine 710 proceeds to step 610where it receives audio and image information in a vicinity of theindividual. A microphone of a communication device such as a landlinephone, mobile phone, computer, or web camera located in the vicinity ofthe individual can receive ambient sound and generate with a commonaudio circuit the audio information. The metaphor engine 710 canselectively enable the communication device of the individual to monitoraudio information with or without notifying the individual. Similarly,the metaphor engine 710 can direct the same or another communicationdevice in the vicinity of the individual with image sensing capability(such as a web camera) to intercept and transmit images to the metaphorengine 710—again with or without notifying the individual. The imagescan be still or moving images showing the individual and/or his or hersurroundings. The audio and image information collected by the metaphorengine 710 collectively become audible and image metaphors in steps 612and 614.

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the metaphor engine 710 can be programmedto combine synthesized and actual metaphors. For example, the metaphorengine 710 can present a synthesized image metaphor with an actualaudible metaphor (e.g., ambient sound near individual). The metaphorengine 710 can also generate hybrid metaphors such as an actual audiblemetaphor combined with a synthesized audible metaphor to enhance thepresentation. Similarly, hybrid image metaphors are possible. In caseswhere limited resources are available at the metaphor engine 710 or atthe audio/image sensor 712, the present disclosure contemplates that themetaphor engine 710 can generate an audible metaphor and not an imagemetaphor and vice-versa.

Once a metaphor has been created (audible and/or image metaphor), themetaphor engine 710 can be programmed to present the resulting metaphorat a communication device of the individual. The individual candetermine in step 618 whether the metaphor is acceptable. If themetaphor is not desirable, the individual can direct the metaphor engine710 in step 620 to adapt the metaphor. For example, the metaphorpresented by the metaphor engine can depict an adjustable volume scrollbar which the individual can act on by common navigation controls of thecommunication device of the individual to change the volume of theaudible metaphor. The metaphor engine 710 can also present a drop-downmenu of audible metaphors (synthesized or actual) which the individualcan select to present an alternative audible metaphor. The metaphorengine 710 can also present the individual a drop-down menu with anoption to switch from a still image metaphor to a moving image metaphoras well as alternative metaphors.

In step 622, the metaphor engine 710 can determine if nested metaphorswill be used. If so, nested metaphors are created in step 624. FIGS.12-17 illustrate nested metaphors in a private setting, while FIGS.18-22 illustrate nested metaphors in a work setting.

FIG. 12 for instance can be a first metaphor which a party requesting tointeract with the individual can be presented. This metaphor can be usedwhen the identification of the party is not recognized, or is notconsidered a close relationship of the individual. The position of thegate (down, half-way, and up) can indicate to the party thereceptiveness of the individual to communicate with the party. The firstmetaphor can also be accompanied by an intermediary which cancommunicate with the party as directed by the intermediary engine 708and the negotiation engine 706 to determine if the party will be allowedto pass the gate into the metaphorical housing subdivision of theindividual. Once the party is allowed to enter the subdivision metaphor,the gate position of the individual's residence can be any one of theillustrations shown in FIGS. 13-15, or a residence that lacks a gate asshown in FIG. 16.

The gate positions and the lack of a gate can also indicate areceptiveness of the individual to interact with the party. Theembodiment of FIG. 13 with a closed gate can configured to require theparty to engage a speakerphone located at the left column of the gate torequest entry to the residence. The speakerphone can serve as anintermediary managed by the negotiation engine 706. The party can alsobe presented with another intermediary (e.g., a butler) at the frontdoor, such as shown in FIG. 17, to greet the party as directed by theintermediary engine 708 and the negotiation engine 706 and to determineif the party will be allowed to enter the individual's home.

In a work setting, the party can be greeted by a receptionist metaphoras shown in FIG. 18. The receptionist metaphor can also be controlled bythe intermediary engine 708 and negotiation engine 706 to determinewhether the party will be allowed to proceed to, for example, theindividual's administrative assistant such as shown in FIG. 19. Theadministrative assistant can also interact with the party as directed bythe intermediary engine 708 and negotiation engine 706. The party canalso visualize the receptiveness of the individual to interact with theparty according to the position of the shades and door of theindividual's office.

For example, FIG. 20 depicts a situation where the individual has aclosed door, and closed shades. The party can interpret from thismetaphor that the individual may not want to be disturbed. FIG. 21illustrates a partially opened door and shade, which may indicate theindividual is busy but can be disturbed by the party if the need forinteracting is important. FIG. 22 depicts a situation where the shadesand the door are in a fully opened position. Additionally, the metaphorshows that the individual is using his computer. This metaphor canindicate that the individual is also busy, but is less resistive tointeracting with the party than the metaphor presented in FIG. 21.

The concept of nested metaphors can be extended also to a single imagemetaphor. For example, disclosing what's behind an office window or doorcan represent a nested metaphor. The door or the window can be afirst-level metaphor, while the disclosure behind the window or door canrepresent a second-level metaphor.

It would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that thereare innumerable ways to present image metaphors to describe the measureof the mood of the individual that have not been presented in thepresent disclosure for practical reasons. For instance, the shades shownin FIGS. 20-22 can be removed, and replaced with a variable opacity ofthe window to vary the exposure of the individual's activities. The lessreceptive the individual is to interact with the party, the more opaquethe window can be, and vice-versa. Also, when transitioning betweennested metaphors, animation can be used to indicate to the party thatthe some level of progress to reach the individual is being made (e.g.,the guard in FIG. 12 does something to raise the gate, the gates in FIG.13 slowly open, the administrative assistant of FIG. 19 knocking on thedoor of the individual to see if s/he's willing to meet with therequesting party, the shades or door of FIG. 20 opening, etc.). Otherpossible embodiments of an image metaphor that can be used to convey theindividual's willingness or receptiveness to interact with a party arecontemplated by the present disclosure.

Once the nested metaphors have been created in step 624, the metaphorengine 710 proceeds to step 626 where it presents the metaphor to therequesting party. Referring back to FIG. 5, step 626 is the resultingmetaphor presented to the party in step 518. In step 520, thenegotiation engine 706 can determine a negotiation strategy according tothe negotiation strategy (NSn) of FIG. 8 in relation to the scenarioassociated with the party requesting to interact with the individual. Instep 522, the negotiation engine 706 can determine from the negotiationstrategy whether negotiations are necessary. The negotiation strategycan for example indicate that based on the identity of the partynegotiations are not required (e.g., no negotiations when spouse or bosscalls). Accordingly, the party can initiate interactions with theindividual in step 536 without intermediate negotiations.

If negotiations are required and the party persists in requesting aninteraction with the individual, the negotiation engine 706 can proceedto step 524 where it invokes an intermediary to interact with the partysuch as shown in FIGS. 12, and 17-19. Persistence can be detected whenthe party invokes a communication origination request over the IMSnetwork 250. If persistence is not detected such as a result of theparty terminating communications with the metaphor engine 710, thenegotiation engine 706 can conclude monitoring the party's actions.

If persistence is detected, the intermediary engine 708 can be invokedin step 524 by the negotiation engine 706. The intermediary engine 708can select an intermediary according to for example the context ofactivity of the individual and the identity of the party. If for examplethe party makes a request while the individual is in the midst of anoccupational context, the intermediary identified by the synthesisengine 702 might be a receptionist or an administrative assistant asshown in FIGS. 18-19. If the context of activity is an entertainmentcontext (such as the individual watching a movie or a football game athome), the intermediary identified might be a butler as shown in FIG.17. The intermediary in these illustrations can be a human agent orvirtual agent in the form of an interactive avatar. The human agent canbe selected by the intermediary engine 708 by signaling a service centeror an actual employee or associate of the individual (such as areceptionist or secretary).

In the case where the intermediary is an interactive avatar, theintermediary engine 708 can utilize an avatar engine capable ofgenerating interactive avatars. The avatar engine can use common speechsynthesis and computer animation technology to generate in real-timefaces and expressions that look like actual people. With recent advancesin speech recognition, language interpretation and speech synthesis,conversational interactive avatars can be presented to the partyrequesting to interact with the individual. FIGS. 12 and 17-19demonstrate interactive avatars generated by the intermediary engine708.

The avatars can be presented on a communication device of the party. Thepresentation can be visual and audible, or audible only. Audible onlypresentations can be tailored so that the avatar's speech has theformalities of the character of the avatar, such as, for example theguard of FIG. 12 (“Good afternoon. Who are you visiting today?”) or thebutler of FIG. 17 (“Good afternoon. I am Mr. X's butler. Can I helpyou?”). The interactive avatar can be selected by the synthesis engine702 based on the context of activity of the individual. The synthesisengine 702 can select other characterizations of the interactive avataras may be suitable for the context of activity of the individual (e.g.,receptionist, administrative assistant, etc.).

In step 526, the intermediary engine 708 can receive instructions fromthe negotiation engine 706 for directing negotiations between the avatar(e.g., butler) and the party requesting to interact with the individual.The responses of the party can be conveyed by the intermediary engine708 to the negotiation engine 706 in step 528. In step 530, thenegotiation engine 706 can determine if the metaphor engine 710 hasprovided nested metaphors. If so, the negotiation engine 706 can directthe metaphor engine 710 to proceed to the next metaphor if progress ismade in the negotiations as determined by the negotiation engine 706 bythe responses received in step 528. The negotiation engine 706 can alsodetermine at step 534 whether to provide the party access to theindividual at step 536, continue negotiations at steps 526-528 by way ofthe interactive avatar, or terminate communications with the party. Ifthe negotiation engine 706 decides to transition from step 534 to step536, the degree of access provided to the party may be partial orunlimited.

Suppose for instance, the individual is in the midst of watching afootball game. The synthesis engine 702 can determine from thebehavioral profile that the individual does not like to engage in voicecommunications during this time, but has accepted on prior occasions toengage in instant messaging communications. The behavioral profile canalso indicate that the individual will accept voice communicationsduring a football game when the requesting party is a close friend orfamily and the request is urgent. With this understanding, thenegotiation engine 706 can determine in step 534 that providing theparty instant messaging access to the individual would be acceptable tothe individual, while voice communication would be undesirable if theparty did not indicate in the communication exchange with theinteractive avatar that the call was urgent.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, method 600 can beadapted to take into account a privacy policy established by either theindividual and/or a service provider of system 700. The privacy policycan indicate the extent of disclosure provided by the metaphor, apreference list of parties, as well as other information that may besuitable in describing the individual's privacy concerns. For instance,the individual can establish a policy where actual metaphor images ofthe individual are display to only the parties identified in the policy,or never displayed to any requesting parties.

In another embodiment methods 500-600 can be adapted to presentmetaphors which can be adapted to a buddy list format created by arequesting party. In this embodiment, the requesting party can visualizeand/or hear by way of a communication device of the party a metaphor foreach member in the buddy list of the party. The metaphor of each memberof the buddy list can represent a live interaction with the metaphorengine 710 or multiple metaphor engines each serving a different memberof the buddy list.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metaphorspresented by the metaphor engine 710 can be adapted according to thedisplay and audio resources of the communication device of therequesting party. For instance, the image and/or audible metaphorpresented by the metaphor engine 710 on a mobile of phone of the partycan be different from the image and/or audible metaphor presented by themetaphor engine 710 on a laptop computer. The metaphor engine 710 canmake adaptations to the metaphor according to resource informationprovided by the communication device of the party requesting to interactwith the individual.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 2300 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. The computer system 2300 in whole or inpart can be a representative embodiment of the synthesis engine 702, thecollection engine 704, the negotiation engine 606, the intermediaryengine 708, and the metaphor engine 710. It is also contemplated thatthe computer system 2300 in whole or in part can also be arepresentative embodiment of other devices described in the presentdisclosure such as the devices illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. In someembodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device. In someembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client user machine in server-client usernetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 2300 may include a processor 2302 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both)), amain memory 2304 and a static memory 2306, which communicate with eachother via a bus 2308. The computer system 2300 may further include avideo display unit 2310 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flatpanel, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computersystem 2300 may include an input device 2312 (e.g., a keyboard), acursor control device 2314 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 2316, asignal generation device 2318 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and anetwork interface device 2320.

The disk drive unit 2316 may include a machine-readable medium 2322 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 2324)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 2324may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 2304, the static memory 2306, and/or within the processor 2302during execution thereof by the computer system 2300. The main memory2304 and the processor 2302 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 2324, or that which receives and executes instructions 2324from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 2326 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 2326 using the instructions 2324. Theinstructions 2324 may further be transmitted or received over a network2326 via the network interface device 2320.

While the machine-readable medium 2322 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape; andcarrier wave signals such as a signal embodying computer instructions ina transmission medium; and/or a digital file attachment to email orother self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one ormore of a machine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listedherein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, inwhich the software implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

1. A metaphor engine, comprising: a controller; and a storage medium forstoring instructions to be executed by the controller; wherein theinstructions, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to:receive a measure of a mood of an individual, wherein the measure of themood is synthesized from collected information associated with abehavior of the individual, wherein the mood indicates an availabilityof the individual and a receptiveness of the individual to accept arequest to interact with an entity, and wherein the measure of the moodhas a plurality of dimensions; create a metaphor according to themeasure of the mood of the individual; and present the metaphor to anentity requesting to interact with the individual.
 2. The metaphorengine of claim 1, wherein the metaphor comprises one of an audiblemetaphor, an image metaphor, and a combination thereof.
 3. The metaphorengine of claim 1, wherein the metaphor describes an activity of theindividual.
 4. The metaphor engine of claim 2, wherein the controller isadapted to: receive audio information in a vicinity of the individual;and present the audio information as the audible metaphor.
 5. Themetaphor engine of claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to receivethe audio information from an audio system located in the vicinity ofthe individual.
 6. The metaphor engine of claim 2, wherein thecontroller is adapted to: receive image information in a vicinity of theindividual; and present the image information as the image metaphor. 7.The metaphor engine of claim 6, wherein the image informationcorresponds to one of still image information, moving image information,and a combination thereof, and wherein the controller is adapted toreceive the image information from an image sensor located in thevicinity of the individual.
 8. The metaphor engine of claim 6, whereinthe image information corresponds to at least one of an image of theindividual and an image of the surroundings of the individual.
 9. Themetaphor engine of claim 7, wherein the image sensor comprises anInternet-capable camera.
 10. The metaphor engine of claim 1, wherein atleast a portion of the metaphor corresponds to a synthesized metaphorcomprising at least one of a synthesized audible metaphor, a synthesizedimage metaphor, and a combination thereof.
 11. The metaphor engine ofclaim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to generate the synthesizedmetaphor from the measure of the mood of the individual.
 12. Themetaphor engine of claim 11, wherein the synthesized audible metaphorcomprises synthesized audio generated by the controller from a firstmetaphorical interpretation of the measure of the mood of theindividual, and wherein the synthesized image metaphor comprisessynthesized imagery generated by the controller from a secondmetaphorical interpretation of the measure of the mood of theindividual.
 13. The metaphor engine of claim 1, wherein the controlleris adapted to: determine an identity of the entity; and create themetaphor according to the measure of the mood of the individual and theidentity of the entity.
 14. The metaphor engine of claim 1, wherein themetaphor corresponds to one of a plurality of nested metaphors.
 15. Themetaphor engine of claim 14, wherein the controller is adapted to:receive from a negotiation engine interacting with the entity adirective to select another one of the plurality of nested metaphors;and present the selected metaphor to the entity.
 16. The metaphor engineof claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimensions comprise at least twoof: a first dimension to manage a metaphorical expression of the mood ofthe individual to interact with others; a second dimension to manage adisclosure to the entity of one or more activities of the individual; athird dimension to manage a negotiation with the entity to provide theentity a degree of access to the individual; and a fourth dimension tomanage an intermediary that conducts the negotiation with the entity.17. The metaphor engine of claim 16, wherein the controller is adaptedto create the metaphor in part according to one of the first dimension,the second dimension, and a combination thereof.
 18. The metaphor engineof claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to receive the measure ofthe mood of the individual from a synthesis engine.
 19. The metaphorengine of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to create themetaphor according to the measure of the mood of the individual and aprivacy policy.
 20. The metaphor engine of claim 19, wherein the privacypolicy is established by at least one of the individual and a serviceprovider of the metaphor engine.
 21. The metaphor engine of claim 1,wherein the entity comprises one of a communication device of aninitiating party and an artificial intelligence system providingcommunication services to the initiating party.
 22. The metaphor engineof claim 21, wherein the communication device corresponds to one of awireless phone, a wireline phone, a computer, a set-top box, and agaming console.
 23. The metaphor engine of claim 1, wherein the metaphorengine operates in one of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TVcommunication system, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communicationsystem, a fixed-line circuit-switched communication system, a cellularcommunication system, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP)communication system.
 24. The metaphor engine of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is adapted to: present the metaphor at a communication deviceof the individual; receive from the communication device a directive tomodify the metaphor; and present the updated metaphor to the entityrequesting to interact with the individual.
 25. The metaphor engine ofclaim 24, wherein the controller is adapted to: identify a behavioralpattern from the directive; and create a new metaphor according to anupdate of the measure of the mood of the individual and the identifiedbehavioral pattern.
 26. A computer-readable storage medium, comprisingcomputer instructions to: receive a measure of a mood of an individualto interact with an entity, wherein the measure has a plurality ofdimensions, and wherein the measure indicates a receptiveness of theindividual to accept a request from the entity to interact with theindividual; and create a metaphor according to the measure of the moodof the individual to inform the entity of the receptiveness of theindividual to interact with the entity.
 27. The storage medium of claim26, wherein the storage medium operates in a metaphor engine.
 28. Thestorage medium of claim 26, wherein the metaphor comprises one of anaudible metaphor, an image metaphor, and a combination thereof.
 29. Thestorage medium of claim 28, comprising computer instructions to: receiveat least one of audio information and image information in a vicinity ofthe individual; and present at least one of the audio information as theaudible metaphor and the image information as the image metaphor. 30.The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the audio information issupplied by an audio system and the image information is supplied by animage sensor, each located in the vicinity of the individual.
 31. Thestorage medium of claim 29, wherein the image information corresponds toone of still image information, moving image information, and acombination thereof.
 32. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein atleast a portion of the metaphor corresponds to a synthesized metaphorcomprising at least one of a synthesized audible metaphor, a synthesizedimage metaphor, and a combination thereof, and wherein the storagemedium comprises computer instructions to generate the synthesizedmetaphor from the measure of the mood of the individual.
 33. The storagemedium of claim 26, comprising computer instructions to: determine anidentity of the entity; and create the metaphor according to the measureof the mood of the individual and the identity of the entity.
 34. Thestorage medium of claim 26, wherein the metaphor corresponds to one of aplurality of nested metaphors, and wherein the storage medium comprisescomputer instructions to: receive from a negotiation engine a directiveto select another one of the plurality of nested metaphors; and presentthe selected metaphor to the entity.
 35. The storage medium of claim 26,comprising computer instructions to create the metaphor according to themeasure of the mood of the individual and a privacy policy, wherein theprivacy policy is established by at least one of the individual and aservice provider.
 36. The storage medium of claim 26, comprisingcomputer instructions to: present the metaphor at a communication deviceof the individual; receive from the communication device a directive tomodify the metaphor; and present the updated metaphor to the entityrequesting to interact with the individual.
 37. A method, comprisingcreating a metaphor from a measure of a mood of an individual tointeract with an entity, wherein the measure of the mood is receivedfrom a synthesis engine, wherein the measure of the mood has a pluralityof dimensions, and wherein the measure of the mood indicates areceptiveness of the individual to accept a request from the entity tointeract with the individual.
 38. The method of claim 37, wherein themeasure of the mood is synthesized by the synthesis engine fromcollected information associated with a behavior of an individual. 39.The method of claim 37, wherein the metaphor comprises one of an audiblemetaphor, an image metaphor, and a combination thereof, and wherein themetaphor has one or more elements of animation.
 40. The method of claim39, comprising: receiving at least one of audio information and imageinformation in a vicinity of the individual; and presenting at least oneof the audio information as the audible metaphor and the imageinformation as the image metaphor.
 41. The method of claim 37,comprising determining the measure of the mood according to a proximitybetween the individual and the entity requesting to interact with theindividual.
 42. The method of claim 37, comprising: analyzing one ormore speech samples of the individual to detect a state of mind of theindividual; and determining the measure of the mood of the individualfrom the detected state of mind of the individual.